Updates from The Stroks

 

Imro and Cynthia Stroks are EAST Alumni who graduated in 2017. With their Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry, the couple served in Timor Leste for six months. They had been sent there by their home church under the care of a mission agency. Originally, the plan was to spend a year in the capital of Timor Leste, Dili, to learn the local language. The COVID pandemic forced them to return home in March 2020.

Timor Leste was not a comfortable place during their time there. Serving in a rural mountainous area in Maubisee, the area was prone to have blackouts during rainy seasons. Also, the internet connection was unstable due to bad flooding after cyclones affected the area.

The Stroks have been back in Singapore for over a year and Cynthia has been taking a 7-month online diploma on Montessori to teach 3 to 6 years old, while Imro has kept himself busy with a bookkeeping course and doing volunteer work at a farm near Khatib. He is interested in doing agriculture for ministry in Timor. 

Their return to Singapore did mean an opportunity to spend time with family. Imro and Cynthia managed to visit Imro’s mum in Amsterdam due to her stroke earlier this year before she went to be with the Lord on 19 Feb.  On a brighter note, Cynthia’s mum and eldest brother were baptized on 25 April.  This was an answer to years of prayers.

On Easter Sunday, Dili experienced bad weather and even had a cyclone sweep through the area destroying many homes. Imro and Cynthia have been fundraising for the needy in Dili, Timor Leste, since then. Their church, Woodlands Evangelical Free Church, have also been fasting and praying for Timor.       

Cynthia candidly shared that when she agreed to go to the field to serve as a missionary, her desire was simply to obey God. She had not expected Timor Leste to be such a challenge to live in – without a functional post office and having no regular flights in and out of the country. Even the courier company was not as reliable at times as their packages could be lost or damaged. Despite these challenges, both Imro and her built memorable friendships with the local people, especially those in the rural areas who helped them in their struggle to learn the Tetun language. They were also grateful to their friendly and helpful language teacher who taught them a lot about the Timorese culture.

Finally, they are reminded that they can make plans, but the Lord always has His own plans which may not match theirs. The unexpected Covid-19 pandemic which cut short their time in Timor Leste is just one such example. “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Psalm 19:21